Russia urges to set up ICAO-led international commission to investigate MH17 crash

July 18, 2014, 20:15 UTC+3UNITED NATIONSRussia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin expressed bewilderment at actions of Ukrainian air traffic controllers who had sent a passenger plane into an area of military hostilities

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Vitaly Churkin

UNITED NATIONS, July 18. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia favors impartial and open investigation into the Boeing 777 air crash that occurred in the territory of Ukraine last Thursday and deems it necessary to set up an international commission under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin told a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday.

Churkin expressed bewilderment at the actions of Ukrainian air traffic controllers who had sent a passenger plane into an area of military hostilities.

“As we see it, it is necessary to investigate not only the crash itself but also how Ukraine’s aviation authorities performed their professional duties,” Churkin said.

As for the developments on the Ukrainian-Russian border, Moscow considers Ukraine’s attacks aggressive acts against Russia’s sovereign territory and its citizens, Vitaly Churkin said.

Artillery and mortar fire “became regular”, Churkin said at a session of the UN Security Council on Friday.

“Some of our nationals were killed and wounded. We consider these provocations as aggressive acts of the Ukrainian side against sovereign Russian territory and Russian Federation citizens,” Churkin said.

“We place responsibility for them on the Kiev authorities and insist that the Ukrainian side must take decisive measures to stop such incidents,” he said.